Meatless Menu Idea: Quinoa Patties

by Emily from Frugal Living NW on February 23, 2012

Quinoa Patties

I’ve talked about how my husband and I are moving toward a vegetable-based diet. I loved reading the comments with your own stories! When we first started experimenting with this change two years ago, my husband was committed but skeptical. He braced himself for a long, hungry month.

I reassured him that he was in good hands. I only forgot one small detail: I actually had no clue what I was doing.

Up to this point, all of my meal planning started with a simple decision: beef, pork, or chicken? Then I would build side dishes around the meat. Take the meat out, and it was hard for me to get motivated in the dinner department. Pancakes for a month, anyone?

Thankfully, I started to experiment with different beans and grains and vegetables. It ended up being a delicious month. (I will be posting some meatless menu plans on Monday if any of you are looking for some tasty inspiration.)

In many of our favorite, vegetable-based meals, quinoa was the star of the show. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient whole grain that is a complete protein. At 6 grams of protein per serving, it is a filling, versatile gluten-free option for a vegetable-based meal. It can be used as a breakfast cereal, in baked goods, in salads, or as the main dish.

In the Portland area, Costco carries four pound bags of organic quinoa for $9.79 ($2.45/lb.). This price is hard to beat (Winco bulk is $3.62/lb and Fred Meyer or Trader Joe’s is $3.99/lb). I would easily spend twice that per pound on good meat.

Remember, I’m not trying to start a Vegetarian Revolution here. I’m just encouraging you to incorporate meatless meals if it works for your family, both for the variety and savings.

This recipe for quinoa patties is easily one of our new favorite main dishes. The recipe is simple and quick to create, especially if you already have cooked quinoa on hand. If you cook a big batch of quinoa ahead of time, it will keep in the refrigerator for several days or the freezer for several months.

This quinoa recipe also keeps well in the fridge or freezer for a smaller, ready-to-cook meal option. We like these served simply, with avocado slices on top.

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa with 3 cups of water and 1/2 t. of salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the quinoa is tender.

To make quinoa patties: Combine 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When hot, shape 12 1″-thick quinoa patties. They don’t have to be perfect. I’ve found the easiest way is to scoop 1/4 cup (use a measuring cup) of the mixture into wet hands, quickly press it into small patties, and slide it into the hot oil with a spatula.

Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes until the underside is golden brown, flip, and repeat until the other side is also a golden brown and the quinoa patty is firm (cooked in the middle). Serve hot or cold with your choice of toppings, if any.

Leave a comment: What is your favorite quinoa recipe? Leave a link, if possible.

Hi!! I tried baking them instead! It works BUT they do look (and hold together) much better if you cook them on the skillet, I did not use olive oil but cooking spray. Also, I changed the 4 whole eggs for 2 whole eggs and 4 whites, had to use a little bit (about 1/4c) of quinoa flour to held the mixture together. Hope it helps

Call me lazy, but I use the rice cooker to cook the quinoa grain. A bit sticks to the bottom, but a small price to pay compared to the mess I make on the stove top. I use 1 part quinoa and 1.5 parts water.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and they are amazing! I usually eat them with a mild salsa for a little more of a kick. This recipe makes a lot so I usually freeze most of them and have them for dinner later in the week!

I just found this recipe on Pinterest, had all the ingredients on hand, so I whipped up a batch. I’m so glad I did … they’re delicious! I made them with feta cheese. I’m freezing the remaining patties for another day. Thanks for this great recipe! I’ll definitely will be making it often.

These sound so tasty and so simple. I will be making them for sure! As I was reading thru all the comments someone mentioned burgers. I immediately thought, “These will make delish patty melts!” Will have to form them to fit the rye bread, but that is never a problem. Thanks for a lovely recipe!

Hands down best meatless party I have ever eaten and I’ve been vegetarian for years (just now starting to add meat back into the diet). I have experimented with quinoa patties before, but this is a winner. The proportions of everything are dead-on perfect! Thank you!!!!

I made these for dinner last night and we really enjoyed them. I love that you can really play around with this recipe. I stuck to the script the first time, but next time I think I’ll try some red pepper and maybe a dash of chili powder. I had some leftovers for breakfast this morning. I think I liked it even better cold. Delicious – thanks for sharing!

Quinoa is new in our kitchen so I’m on the hunt for some good recipes and this one looks like one to try. I host a really fun party on Wednesday’s and I would love for you to come by and share this with my friends.
~Newest follower via Pintrest

These look and sound delish! I’m going to try them.
I’m visiting you today from Trendy Treehouse. I co-host a Linky Party Tuesday (open thru Sat) and I’d love for you to link up! I hope you get a chance to stop by, link up and leave a comment, too!
~ Megin of VMG206
Join me each Tuesday for Brag About It Link Up Party

those really look amazing. You could do so much with that patty too, dip it in yummy homemade cuccumber dip or top it with a sauce!!! Have you seen the offer for a free fathers day card from TREAT? I’ve posted the details on my blog and it really is free! No tricks :o) Just trying to pass along the offer!
Emily @ Nap-Time Creations

So, I bought some quinoa and was excited to try this…how in the world do you rinse quinoa? I tried to rinse it in my colander and it leaked out everyone. I bought one with smaller holes and it stuck to it everywhere. There has to be an easier way than what I am doing. I feel like I am wasting a ton of it in the rinsing process. Please help if you have a trick!

Hi, Amie! Sorry for the hassle! I use a fine mesh strainer, and it works perfectly. These are available in a wide variety of sizes & prices. I would find one that’s around 7″. Here’s an inexpensive one.

Pour 1 cup of dry quinoa into the strainer at a time, rinse under cold water, invert the strainer over the pot & tap it once on the side. It’s fast, easy, and you won’t waste a bit!

I usually serve these with roasted vegetables or a big green salad. The quinoa patties are also great with avocado slices on top. Yum! Sometimes I pile the whole thing together: salad topped with quinoa patties and avocado.

Just found your website! I am excited to find this recipe because my son is gluten free and doesn’t think it’s fair that everyone else gets to eat the “good food”. By incorporating foods like this for all of us, my son won’t feel left out, MY doctor will be thrilled that I’m actually eating something healthy, and perhaps 3 adults in this family will have our cholesterol DROP!

I made these with feta and bread crumbs from homemade gluten free bread. They are so delicious. Will be making a ton to freeze. They were also excellent chopped up on a salad.
I find they taste like egg foo young.

I made these and they were delicious! They’re gluten free since they have breadcrumbs in it? I’m a vegetarian and was looking for recipes for healthy carbs/starches in my meal and this made a great side dish to my meal.

My husband made this recipe for me tonight and we are fans!!! It was so good and we have plans to tweek it a bit to make it even more to our liking. Thanks so much for the idea. It will be a new staple in our house.

I’ve been using a lot of vegetarian recipes for many years, and I love to see more people realizing they can mix things up–meatless sometimes, a great roast chicken another time. One cookbook author I heartily recommend is Jeanne Lemlin (Main-course Vegetarian Pleasures; Vegetarian Pleasures). Her recipes are excellent for convincing skeptical family members–nothing weird, very flavorful. Her books may be out of print, but try the library or a used book store. One small point: if you’ve never tried quinoa, don’t buy the giant size package first. To some people (me, and others I know), it tastes sort of metallic and grassy–not good. I wish I liked it!

You could also use cheesecloth in a strainer. Or you could also put it in a bowl and let it soak for a minute and drain as much as you can. If you think there is about 1/4 cup water left, just subtract that from the amount.

I made these tonight! LOVE. Seriously! I used the cheese I had on hand (something hard that we had leftovers of from our wine and cheese couch-time date night) and I didn’t have enough garlic. The quinoa was some sort of blend with millet that a friend gave me, and I used more red onions than the other types. BUT, even with all the changes, it was spectacular. I will definitely be making it again!! I fried them in coconut oil, and anything fried in coconut oil is wonderful!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!

I am not a vegetarian by any means, but have been enjoying at least 1 if not 2 meatless days a week. Which I just read my Belgian ancestors have been doing for years. It is exciting!! Even my husband has been really getting into it; although he wasn’t so easy to convince originally. He will be thrilled that you have posted the quinoa patty recipe as his eyes lit up when I told him about it last week. Thanks so much Emily!

We are a mostly vegetarian family and we love this recipe, too. Leftovers are great with left over roasted veggies and wrapped in a tortilla with a little more cheese! Seriously, I would pay BIG money for this wrap:)
Happy experimenting.

Either would work. I save heels and the crusts my kids don’t eat, as well as older, dry bread. I just spread it on a cookie sheet and toast them until dry in the oven, then pulse them in the food processor a few times until they are the consistency I want. I love having a container of these bread crumbs on hand & ready to go!

Thanks for the great idea! I gave up meat for Lent and while I’m fairly well versed in the kitchen, I imagine I’ll be tired of the same old quinoa here in a few weeks.
I found a great recipe for bean patties on Eating Well magazines website. Even my carnivorous hunting husband likes them.

I actually googled “quinoa patty recipe” last week after reading Emily’s post because I wanted to try it out & found this very recipe. We are G.F. & I substituted G.F. oats instead of bread crumbs. I let the mixture sit a few hours after adding the oats & then fried them up for dinner. Delicious! I just finished eating the leftover patties for breakfast this morning (I’ve been saving/hoarding the leftover patties for myself because they are SO good!)

Cooking GF regulalry, I’ve made quinoa patties (other recipes) and instead of crumbs, some recipes ask for a bit of flour–i use a mixture that i make or rice flour instead of this–pretty flexible and I like that alot–one can use what you have on hand!

YUM! I can’t wait to try these! I’ve recently discovered Quinoa too as I had to cut out gluten last year and the foods I was used to eating were no longer an option. I discovered a yummy way to eat Quinoa, using leftovers from the night before. Scramble eggs your favorite way. My favorite way is to saute garlic, onion, zucchini and bell peppers, then add eggs. When the eggs are almost to the consistency that you like, add leftover Quinoa. Cook until heated through, top with parmesan cheese (or any cheese you like). Yum!

I have never worked with egg beaters so I can’t say for certain, but I don’t see why not. This recipe is user-friendly and open to interpretation. I think the substitution is 1/4 of a cup of egg beaters per egg, right?

If the mixture turns out too moist, you can always add in more bread crumbs to firm it up.